Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews (read aloud txt) 📗

the bushes? Beneath my eaves? On my porch? Why did they keep circling my home?

Moving stealthily through my house, I checked the doors and windows. The dispatcher bombarded me with questions. I answered just as quickly. My motion sensor lights. Started a few minutes ago. Phoenix and I were alone. My address.

My need for them to hurry.

Thankfully, they did.

Patrol cars with their flashing lights pulled up in front of my house before I’d thanked the dispatcher and disconnected the call. I opened the door to the deputies—and found Jed and Errol on my porch.

“Ms. Harris.” Jed inclined his head in greeting. “Everything all right in there?”

“Yes.” The word emerged on a sigh of relief. Despite my previous tense encounters with the deputy duo, their presence instantly made me feel safer.

Jed’s eyes searched mine as though looking for confirmation that the intruders weren’t inside, threatening me. He must’ve found that confirmation. “All right, now. Cole and I are going to search your property. We’ll be right back, so y’all stay inside for now.”

Phoenix and I remained on the porch, less than an arm’s length from the doorway. I held him tightly, murmuring soft words and stroking him, giving as well as receiving comfort. A dusting of stars blanketed the sky. A cool breeze carried the earthy scent of the swamp. And somewhere nearby, an intruder lurked.

Since I remained outside, my motion-detection light stayed on, illuminating the front of my property to the sidewalk. The New Yorker in me remained vigilant in the event the intruder somehow made it past the deputies and into my home. My gaze swept the perimeter from my right side yard, the walkway in front of me, my left side yard, and my—hopefully empty—living room behind me.

The deputies returned. Jed turned off his flashlight as he climbed the three steps to my porch. “Well, now, Ms. Harris, we didn’t see anyone loitering around your yard.”

Errol stopped beside him. “Are you sure someone was out here?” As he spoke, he looked around as though double checking that we were alone.

“Yes, I’m certain. Their movements activated the motion lights.” I was reluctant to let go of Phoenix. It had been a disquieting experience, and my poor cat had been through enough with the move.

“Probably just some teenagers. They tripped your lights, walking past your house.” Jed adjusted the waistband of his polyester brown stripe pants.

“Walking past my house at two in the morning? On a school night?” It was only Wednesday. That didn’t seem logical. Even in my old neighborhood in Brooklyn, teenagers weren’t out that late on a school night. And Peach Coast was a much quieter—and older—community.

“It could happen.” The older deputy seemed defensive.

Errol lifted his attention from Phoenix. “Did your cat get out?”

“No, he was asleep.” I looked from Phoenix back to Jed. “The noises didn’t sound like a group of kids. And whoever it was walked the perimeter more than once. He activated the lights on at least three sides of my house, not just the front. His actions seemed deliberate.”

My attention shifted to the sidewalk, searching beyond the light to the shadows on the other side. The trespasser had wanted me to know he’d been out here in the early hours of the morning, casing my home while Phoenix and I had slept. I was sure of it. A chill chased down my spine.

Jed rubbed his upper lip. “Like I said, it was probably a couple of kids, playing a prank.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Kids playing pranks at two in the morning? Does that happen a lot in Peach Coast?”

“Well, no, ma’am.” Errol gave me a puzzled frown.

“Then why are you so sure it happened this time?” I looked from Errol to Jed. Errol seemed confused, as though he didn’t understand why I wasn’t buying their explanation. Jed gave me a stony stare. Apparently, that was his story, and he was sticking to it. They were determined to dismiss the incident as the work of adolescent jokers.

I looked over my shoulder and up and down the street. No one was out now. My neighbors were all asleep. Maybe I was making too much of this. Maybe my conversation with my parents had unnerved me more than I’d thought it had. I wanted to believe the deputies because the alternative—my theory—wouldn’t allow me to go back to sleep.

I eased my hold on Phoenix. “I appreciate you coming out to investigate.”

Jed inclined his head. “You’re welcome.”

Errol’s smile revealed even white teeth. “Our pleasure, ma’am.”

“Why were you the ones who answered the call?” I glanced from Jed to Errol and back. “I thought you worked the day shift.”

“Our shifts rotate.” Jed shrugged. “Nothing changes much in Peach Coast, but no two days are the same for us. Is there anything else we can do for you, ma’am?”

“No, thank you.” I shifted closer to my door. “Thanks again for coming out.”

Jed turned to leave. “You’re welcome. Again.”

Errol tipped his hat. “Try to get some sleep, ma’am.”

“Thank you. Be safe out there.” I carried Phoenix back inside, locking the door securely behind me. “Maybe the deputies are right.” I mounted the stairs back to my room. “It seems odd, but maybe it was just kids cutting through our yard. At two in the morning. On a school night.” I settled Phoenix back onto the pillow where he’d been sleeping. “Whatever it was, let’s keep this incident between us. No need to mention it to your grandparents. Okay?”

Phoenix curled up and went back to sleep. I took his silence as agreement and crawled into bed beside him. I didn’t think I’d actually sleep, though. A glance at the alarm clock beside my bed showed that the entire event had taken less than half an hour. It had seemed like half the night.

While Phoenix slept, I stared at the ceiling. In the morning, after my run, I’d survey the perimeter of my house myself. Perhaps the trespasser had left behind marks or evidence that he’d been on my property, footprints or